For decades, people living in contemporary residences have prepared food by cooking it on a gas stove or an electric range. Only recently, the microwave oven has reduced the need to rely upon gas and electric heat to cook food. The microwave oven which has become a popular kitchen appliance for preparing foods uses radiant energy as its heat source. It is believed that microwave ovens have become popular because microwave cooking is fast and easy. Further, the energy requirements to cook in a microwave oven is much less than gas or electric cooking and, therefore, is less expensive. However, a problem arises when using microwaves to cook food. Because microwave energy heats food on a molecular level, hot spots can be generated on and within the cooking food. Sometimes these hot spots become so hot that minute, local explosions of the food occur. These local explosions cause cooking food particles to splatter about the cooking chamber. The advent of microwave ovens has spawn a need for accessories which could help make microwave cooking even faster and easier. Many of these accessories are oriented to minimize the soiling of the microwave cooking chamber that is often created as a result of food particles splattering thereabout.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,773 to Hanlon discloses a protective cover for a dish being heated in a microwave oven. The protective cover is formed of a moisture-absorbent, microwave transparent material as a top cover and an encircling wall depending downwardly for the periphery of the top cover to completely cover the dish to protect the cooking chamber of the oven from any possible splattering of food particles during heating. The protective cover is formed of absorbent material so that any escaping fluids and food particles may be captured or absorbed thereby. The protective cover may be treated with a microwave-safe resin to increase the rigidity of the protective cover. Although the protective cover is simple, safe and inexpensive to use, it is designed to be disposed after one use. If further microwave cooking is required, another protective cover could be used or the one originally covering the cooking food could be re-used although it might be sufficiently soiled resulting in soiling of the microwave oven.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,523 to Kohnen teaches a cover for an open container having contents which are to be heated in a microwave oven. The cover is fabricated from a cellulose hydrate film and includes a plurality of ventilation holes. The cover is moistened so that it adheres to the open container. Immediately before placing the cover onto the open container, the cellulose hydrate must be moisten so that the cover can adhere to the open container. Without moistening the cover, it is possible that the cover can be blown down into the container or blown off the container by air currents produced by a conventional fan within the microwave oven. This cover also appears to be the type which should be disposed after a single use or otherwise the used cover can soil the microwave oven.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,140 to Coker reveals a cover device for preventing splatters during the heating of food. The cover device is adapted to cover a container or plate of food during heating, especially in a microwave oven. The cover device is formed as a sheet of open weave material, preferably polyester, and a plurality of plastic weight elements are secured to the peripheral margin of the sheet. Because of its flexible construction, the cover device can cover a variety of differently shaped containers including open plates containing food. Even with direct contact with food, the cover device does not taint the food. The cover is also readily cleanable by washing it by hand, in a dishwasher or in a washing machine. However, when this cover device directly contacts the food on one plate, another cover would be appropriate for covering a different type of food on another plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,056 to Meyers discloses a microwave dish cover which closes an open container. The cover is elongated and has two opposite narrow ends and two opposite elongated ends. The cover is attached to the container by a latching means positioned at the narrow ends. The container itself must include an outwardly extending lip positioned on the upper edge thereof so that an inwardly extending protrusion of the latching means can engage the lip to lock the cover onto the container. The cover is fabricated from a material so that the cover can be deformed. Deforming the cover in the elongate direction unlocks the cover from the container. A disadvantage of using this microwave dish cover is that it is dedicated to the container operably compatible therewith.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved splatter guard device which can act as a cover for a variety of open containers including plates that are currently used for cooking in microwave ovens. Some prior art covers directly contact the food cooking within the microwave oven. Removing the food temporarily from the microwave oven to check for appropriate temperature requires removal of these types of covers which can cause a mess. There is a further need to provide such a splatter guard device that avoids contact with the cooking food to prevent the possibility of food contamination. There is a further need for such a splatter guard device which can be readily cleaned of food particles splattered thereon so that it can be reused immediately thereafter. There is a further need for a splatter guard device which can be retrofitted into existing microwave ovens or incorporated into future models of microwave ovens.